Anarchy
by Mistress Antithesis
Summary: When civilization falls, individuals rise. Submit your OC (SYOC); closed until next arc.
1. Distress Signal

01: Distress Signal

_Day 00_

_9:58 AM_

_Unknown Location_

The surrounding landscape passed Sonic in a blur. He could pick certain things out – a dried lakebed here, the burnt-up shell of a town there – but these were things he had seen with greater frequency the closer he came to his destination. The sky had by this point become a dull, dusty gray and the ground was barren of all life besides stubborn clumps of grasses and dried husks of trees dotting the landscape. It could have been a rolling plain at one point, or perhaps a vast farmland before, but now all that remained were the dust and wayward stones his shoes kicked up as he sped over them.

Towns grew in number as he went, some torn entirely to the ground, and others, more eerily, stood in pristine condition, yet were utterly devoid of life. Most of these ghost towns looked as though they were bereft of resources and so had been abandoned, but others looked as though they were flourishing, and had simply been… cleared out. It was as much of a war state as he had seen. Sonic only hoped he was not too late, as he seemed to be.

In under an hour he came to his journey's end – a large grey castle in the midst of what looked to be a recently thriving castle town, but was now sparsely populated by a people who hid inside their houses when he neared. The castle was still largely untouched by damage, besides a few chips and cracks on the outer stone.

Sonic strode in, lackadaisically scanning the inside of the castle. Nice place. A fortress, but a cozy one. A few eyes turned to him, some out of curiosity and others out of hostility, but none so commanding of respect than the ones at the distant head of the room. A cat with blazing amber fur and auburn eyes, hooded by rings of velvety black fur. Her arms were crossed and head held high with a demeanor both proud and agitated. Sonic, self-assured as he was, advanced regardless. By the time he was close enough to pause, the room had become silent.

It was broken by the cat's commanding voice. She bowed her head as she spoke. "We've been waiting for you, Sonic the Hedgehog."

He grinned compulsively – it was nice to be welcomed for once. "Hey, no need to be formal. Just call me Sonic."

"You have heeded my distress signal. And doubtless seen what remains of the kingdom." She crossed her arms. "I have called you here because I need your help."

"Sure, I got it. It's not looking so hot around here. Course, if you explain what happened it might help me out a little more," Sonic replied pointedly.

She nodded, eyes dropping to search the ground beneath his feet as if searching for a point from which to begin. "There has been… unrest plaguing the continent for the last decade. But a month ago, a rebel alliance formed without our knowledge. They fought their way to the capitol, burning many of the surrounding areas, and when they came here…" She grit her teeth and her fists clenched at her sides. A cat next to her, the same fiery amber, put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "They slaughtered the entire royal guard and the Queen. My mother. No successor could ascend to the throne under the threat of execution, and nobody could stand against them because the barren land starved us of our resources. Eventually the rebels were driven out by a nearby providence's militia, but by that time it was too late. The kingdom collapsed, and the continent fell into chaos. Is fallen into chaos." She let silence once again envelop the room. Sonic saw that the others no longer looked at him, but bowed their heads in mourning. "What you saw is all that will remain if something is not done. You, Sonic the Hedgehog, are the champion of many lands, and the one this land needs to restore order – to restore the rightful ruler to the throne."

Sonic nodded slowly. "I follow you. I seek out these rebel forces, destroy their means of operations, and sweep their foundations out from under them."

"Perhaps. But they are many, and powerful."

"I've seen it all." Sonic flashed an unexpected smile. "Trust me."

The cat nodded, though it was somewhat more hesitant. "My name is Jennet. This," the cat beside her bowed – while they bore a familial resemblance, he was slightly smaller, and only one eye was surrounded with black fur that stretched over part of his head, enveloped one ear, and dotted his tail, "is my brother Destio. We command what remains of the royal forces, and the forces of order."

Sonic nodded. "Then you can consider me a friend, majesty."

* * *

**This world crumbles.**

The crown **Queen**, monarch of this land, has been **killed** on her throne in a rebel takeover. The continent has been upset – **alliances** have formed and broken; groups pursue either **order** or **chaos**, seek a **restoration** of the crown or an **abandonment** of it.

**Anarchy** has broken – for some it is the **dawn** of a dazzling future; for others it is the **fall** of a sinister night. It is your **choice**: will you **fight** for order, or for rebellion; for peace, or for war; for something else altogether?

This world crumbles.

**Another takes shape.**

* * *

(Note: Not all areas have to be filled out. Don't force yourself to come up with any areas you are drawing a blank on.)

**Basic**

Full name: (first, middle, last; pronunciation if necessary)

Title(s): (if applicable)

Nicknames/Aliases:

Gender:

Age:

Affiliation (Order/Rebellion/Any/Other):

**Physical/Appearance**

Species:

Body type/build/figure:

Eye color:

Hair/Fur/Skin colors/textures/styles/lengths:

Tail/Ears/Wings/etc descriptions:

Health issues: (if applicable; disabilities/diseases/ailments)

Voice quality/Speech quirks:

Clothing:

Tattoos/scars/piercings/birthmarks:

Other:

**Personality**

Personality overview: (please be detailed)

Prominent personality traits:

Weaknesses of character:

Strengths of character:

Aspirations:

Hobbies:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Skills:

Interests:

Good habits:

Bad habits:

Fears:

Alignment: (lawful/neutral/chaotic + good/neutral/evil; ex: "chaotic good", "lawful neutral"; or simply good/neutral/evil)

Sexuality:

Quirks:

Dietary patterns:

Significant/special belongings:

Personal quote: (can also be snippet of dialogue)

**History**

General history:

Other notes:

**Relationships**

Significant family/relatives:

Significant relationships: (can be other Anarchy OCs)

Friends/Allies: (can be other Anarchy OCs)

Enemies: (can be other Anarchy OCs)

Possible romantic interests/Cruhes: (can be other Anarchy OCs)

Relationship/marital status: (single/dating/betrothed/married/etc)

**Combat**

Weapon(s):

Combat style:

Offensive skills:

Defensive skills:

Speed (1-100 scale):

Agility (1-100 scale):

Power (1-100 scale):

Stamina (1-100 scale):

Flying ability (1-100 scale):

Other notes:

**Chao Info (if applicable)**

Name:

Age:

Alignment:

Type:

Gender:

Personality:

Color:

Other notes:

* * *

Please submit this form **in a private message, ****not**** a review**, so that this story is not taken down. Thank you, and good luck!

_- Mistress Antithesis_


	2. Team Tempest

02: Team Tempest

Day 01

_12:24 PM_

_Capitol Provence Outskirts_

A group of three traveled by foot. Instead of the dusty, charred terrain that surrounded the capitol, they found themselves heading abruptly into a sparse forest. Sent by Jennet, they were traveling to a small rebel base near the city.

Two young females walked in front, a white hedgehog and a gray wolf. The hedgehog's white fur was streaked in several places with green, and her yellow eyes scanned the treetops curiously. She wore an airy light blue top, dusty long pants, and thin, dark blue canvas shoes. The wolf's fur was patched with many shades of grey; her straight hair was black, and her hears, alert to every small sound from the forest ahead, were colored a very light grey. When she blinked – red eyes – her eyelids were a lovely black. She wore a small, high red top, and black shorts, shoes, and gloves, things most likely chosen specially so they wouldn't get in the way during her travels.

Not far behind them was an echidna – not a soft white, but a pallid, albino white. His eyes were a deep blue, and he wore a blue uniform, boots, and long coat. He carried himself with something like grace, a thing that came with years of practice, a thing that hid powerful skill.

"Hold on," he called ahead, voice deep. The pair halted, looking back at him. He looked to the side, something bright red catching his eye. He walked over to it.

"It's a guy," the wolf said rather unhelpfully.

"It is." The echidna knelt down, feeling for a pulse from the passed-out creature. "Shayden, please attend to him. He may be hurt."

The white hedgehog nodded and knelt down to help. The trio hadn't been there for five minutes before they heard the sound of an approaching patrol. Rebels, no doubt. The two looked to the leading echidna, nearly hovering in a battle stance already, but he held out a hand, palm down, telling them to lay low.

A moment passed, and a rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. The patrol buzzed with conversation, louder now. The dull buzz grew into yelling when a sudden thunder crack sounded overhead, striking _very_ nearby. The patrol was startled enough to retreat instantly.

"That was easy," Shayden said, looking back down to her work.

"They sounded young," the leader replied, brow furrowing. "Were they really soldiers?"

The group went quiet, listening, until with a jolt the creature at their feet jumped up, snarling.

It was a red echidna, and his stance was defensive, though his wide stance indicated that he would fight rather than flee.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snarled, and was met by two blank stares and a sigh. "Don't touch me!"

"We saw you and thought, you know," Shayden's voice dipped into sarcasm, "you might need the help."

"That's an honest mistake," he shot back, and adjusted his spiked gloves. He brushed himself off, dropping his stance, as he apparently had decided that these three were no threat to him. "Thanks and all, but have any of you seen Sonic or Tails? Or that bat girl?" The white echidna shook his head.

"You're far from home, guy," the wolf piped up. "But we can take you back to the capitol. Maybe your friends are looking for you there."

"That so. And who are you?"

"Rein. And that," she pointed a claw at their leader, "is Aristotle."

"Fine, then point me in the right direction."

"We're not allowed to travel alone. You'll have to come with us," Aristotle told him smoothly. There was hardly room for argument.

"_Have_ to?" The red echidna's voice climbed in volume. "Are you gonna make me?"

"… No, but unless you want to get attacked again, it looks like we're your only choice for a safe return. After we look into the base situation, of course."

The red echidna harrumphed, pushing his knuckles against each other. "Fine. I'm itching to take them down anyway. Punks."

The team started back on their trail, Aristotle now leading while Shayden and Rein followed; they glanced back at the new straggler with bright eyes. He looked irritated.

* * *

_This chapter:_

Aristotle the Echidna

Rein the Wolf

Shayden the Hedgehog

_Who make up Team Tempest! If you haven't gone back to read the first chapter again, do it, because I replaced with an actual chapter that explains a lot of things._

_So this story is, for the time being (spring break) going to be updated once daily. This is simple for me because each chapter is only one scene – this is a format I've wanted to try for a little while, so we'll see._

_Also, this is important: not all good characters are on the side of order, and not all bad characters are on the side of rebellion. They should hopefully be about in equal number on both sides (and the same goes for villains)._

_Constructive criticism welcome!_

_- Mistress Antithesis_


	3. Puncture Wound

03: Puncture Wound

_Day 01_

_15:03 PM_

_Cerise Town_

Sonic knelt down. Preserved in the dust were a variety of foot and shoe prints; Sonic's mouth tightened into a line. The rebels had been here, had done this. This town – Cerise, if he remembered the map on the castle wall correctly – stood still in the wind, another town abandoned due to the war. And, Sonic presumed, the rebels had come back all too recently to loot Cerise, and been too careless – they were nearby. Sonic took off, leaving in his wake only a cloud of dust.

He was on them in minutes, supersonic sprinter that he was, and wasted no time in attacking the first unfortunate rebel that turned a weapon on him. The ensuing fight was all but a blur to onlookers.

Sonic dodged the first two that came at him, grabbed one's shirt collar and the other's glove, and sent them crashing headfirst into each other; they slumped, groaning, to the ground. Without looking he rolled away from another's spear thrust. He promptly jerked the spear away and swung it in a wide arc and took out at least five more with the rod of the weapon. The rest hung back for an instant, likely in shock; a shadow passed over Sonic's head and he sprang skyward, taking hold of the shadow – a dive-bombing hawk – and bringing her down with a clatter into the crowd. He then tornado-whirled where he landed, blowing back those who tried to rush him.

Something whizzed by his ear. He ducked and rolled away, and snapped his head up to see a gray cat with cold, steel-blue eyes; this cat's outstretched arm gleamed metal and bright blue sparks danced around his palm. A weaponized prosthetic. Sonic smirked – maybe this would be a challenge after all.

They rushed at each other. Sonic aimed a lightning-quick kick at the cat's midsection; it was blocked, and the car thrust his elbow at Sonic's chest. Sonic pulled back an inch and it flew past him harmlessly until the cat swung it back, landing a bruising hit on Sonic's shoulder. Using the momentum to his advantage, Sonic hopped back and sped a quick half-circle around the cat, jumped high into the air, and fell toward him, feet first. The cat slid out of the way, kicking up a dust cloud. Both now crouched in the sand, they rushed each other once again. The cat leapt at Sonic and fired three quick bolts of bright blue electricity; even with his speed Sonic was barely able to evade the shots. He faintly felt the pain of an electric burn forming on his arm as he struck out at the cat again, this time able to catapult him over his head. The cat was just able to recover with a roll, and immediately held his prosthetic straight out in front of him; he held the elbow with his other hand. Only then did Sonic notice the sleek frameless glasses on the cat's face, across the top of which was a thin metal strip in the same color as the prosthetic. Just visible on the lenses were a variety of words and pictures – command prompts, Sonic realized. Command prompts that correlated with the electrical energy now gathering around the prosthetic's volt cannon. Without as much as a thought Sonic rushed the cat for a third time. He had to incapacitate him before he fired.

Suddenly an enormous red and yellow hammer came down between them. Unprepared, Sonic skidded backward.

"Stop, Sonic!"

The voice was familiar. Sonic's gaze snapped to the wielder of the hammer – pink hedgehog.

"Amy?" The incredulity could not be kept from his voice. "What are you doing? Why…?"

"Why are _you_? Look what you've done to these innocent people! They didn't do anything to you!"

He was backpedaling now; Amy had that effect on people. "You don't understand! They're rebels, they attacked the town… hostages-"

"There are no hostages, Sonic," Amy ground out, tightening her grip around her hammer. "The rebels were evacuating the town."

Slowly Sonic turned to look at the crowd. Some were armed with weapons and armor, but others, others he hadn't noticed before, were common animals – men, women, and children toting only the clothes on their backs and whatever possessions they could carry with them. The distrust and fear in their eyes speared through him with a pain worse than the darkening burn on his arm.

Amy's expression turned almost sympathetic. "You… you don't know? What's left of the royal forces are massacring any areas they think is a center of rebel activity. There have already been so many…"

"That… can't be true…" Sonic's gaze dropped almost to his feet. As if on cue, the gray cat Sonic had been brawling with moments ago walked to stand next to Amy, arms crossed, tail twitching.

"It is true!" Amy's voice assumed strength in an abrupt wave of anger. "You were blinded by your desire to fight!"

"If it's really true – if it really happened that way, the capitol can't possibly know about it." Surely it was all an error in communication, a misunderstanding. "Amy, bring this group back to the capitol. They'll be safe there, and you can tell Jennet and Destrio…"

To his shock, she shook her head. "I can't do that, Sonic. You don't know what those two" – this wasn't spoken as much as it was ejected in resentment – "will do to them."

She solemnly turned to leave, and the cat, the rebels, and the townspeople followed.

Sonic's heart sank. He _had_ been blinded, and now he did not know the face of his true enemy. Slowly, he turned, and walked, head down, in the opposite direction of Amy and the refugees.

Meanwhile, Amy's eyes focused on the skyline, clouded though they were by the conflict within.

"Are you sure?"

She looked over to her companion, the cat. With almost no hesitation, she replied, "I'm sure, Ember. I know how to divide right from wrong. Anyway," she drew herself up, looking at the sky, "it's time I chose my own path."

* * *

_This chapter:_

Ember the Cat

_Who we'll see more of, don't worry. Plot twist, though, amirite? This is fun. Also, fight scene._

_So, in this story, the canon characters are considered the more "main" characters, while OCs are more side characters. That is to say, canon characters carry the central plot, while OCs support the central plot, but the main focus of these OCs is their individual character arcs. Which vary in length, we'll say. Every single OC character will not stick around forever; rather, they'll stick around and appear in varying numbers of scenes (maybe like 5?) where they'll be either support characters or a main character. I'll do my best to resolve all the OC character arcs, and not just let them disappear in the central plot, or something equally lazy._

_Another note I forgot to mention last chapter: if you do send an OC in, you can include relationships with canon characters. However, these relationships won't be established right with the introduction of the character. The relationships will form gradually. Canon characters only have pre-established relationships with each other in this one. No problem with an OC having pre-established relationshis with other OCs, though._

_Constructive criticism welcome! Not to mention plain ol' reviews!_

_- Mistress Antithesis_

* * *

**Next time: A lovely assassin meets a corrosive killer – a clash of villains.**


	4. Contagion

04: Contagion

_Day 02_

_2:30 AM_

_Southern Gilded Forest_

The forest took on lighter shades of green when bathed in moonlight. It was windless, and so quiet that the scratching turn of a page could be heard, by the right ears, meters away – well into the cover of darkness.

The page-turner's lime green eyes scanned across the page idly. The pale light played in strange ways on his black fur, highlighting the bright green streaks running through it; the bending of the light caused it to appear strangely alive. He paid no attention. To him the forest was anything but silent – his long ears rotated to catch every shift of every leaf on the forest floor. Not to mention the crackling shatter of a nearby acorn under a boot. The jackal's ear twitched – that had been the sixth time it happened. It was time to deal with this trash.

He closed his book with a snap and stood. "You have thirty seconds to show yourself," he said. "Or I'll kill you where you stand."

After ten lingering seconds a figure emerged from behind a tree trunk opposite him. His sharp eyes made out clearly that this figure was an effeminate one – slim, and softly shaped. Her clothing was dark and close-fitting, though it was ribbed with light armor, much like his own suit. Her face, however, was shrouded in the dark hollow of the hood hanging over her face. A long, tail rose behind her, covered with long fur – black lined with a long white stripe. A sickly sweet perfume wafted into the air around him.

"No need to take that tone." Her voice was a purr. She walked toward him – rather boldly, for someone who had been threatened with death mere moments before – with a sway in her hips. "Just passing through, same as you."

Surely she didn't expect him to believe that.

She walked in a slow circle around him, a shark circling prey. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing here, all alone so late at night?" She came close enough to brush the tip of her tail under his chin as she passed.

"I was wondering the same thing," he growled.

"No need to be rude, just…" there was a soft metallic _shhing_ as she unsheathed a small knife. "Personal business."

He whirled around and struck out as he placed the sound. The blow just grazed her as she jumped back, immediately on guard.

"Assassin."

"No need to take that tone." Unlike the coquettish voice she used before, this was chilled. She inspected her dagger and a moment later she produced another. He picked his helmet up from beside his pack on the ground and donned it – if she wanted a fight she would get one.

The assassin leapt upward, pulling herself up onto a tree branch. They sized each other up for a moment – the jackal saw that she was slim, agile, and armed with blades she clearly knew how to handle; yet, she hadn't much muscle, thus she was probably rather fragile. Easy, then, to wear down.

She disappeared in a single jump into the leaves overhead. He waited, ears turned the direction of the incessant rustling, until she dropped almost silently down behind him. He turned and deflected yet another stab to the back. She rolled backwards, perhaps going to escape, but he was suddenly right on her and delivered a sharp blow to the ear. She skidded away and held her head, disoriented, but came to her senses just as quickly and prepared her daggers again. When he came close she slashed out at him in a wide arc – she was quicker than he expected, and the tip of one blade tore through his clothes just below his ribcage. No matter. He was tired of this before it started and, unfortunately for her, didn't feel much like playing anymore.

It was undoubtedly a rude surprise for the assassin when he struck out and seized her neck with one hand. She grabbed at it uselessly as he lifted her from the ground. "Now that I have your attention. Who sent you here and why? If you tell me now I might even spare you."

She twisted, struggling rather valiantly, but could not free herself. "The… the capitol… said you were too much… a threat…"

The jackal's green eyes went cold. "Petty Mobians. Thinking I care about your petty war games." He drove four claws into her stomach. Withdrawing them, he released her neck and let her fall to the ground. The wound fizzled with what he knew to be acid; the stuff dripped from his claws. This was the reason he called himself Corroder. "Let that be a warning to the capitol and rebels alike. I side with no one."

He vanished into the trees, and left the woman, clutching at her wound, for dead.

* * *

_In this chapter:_

Corroder the Jackal

Belladonna the Skunk

_Sorry I didn't update yesterday (and am updating so late today). I don't have access to the internet 24/7 (and missed my window yesterday) but I had the chapter written, so double update today. Hopefully that won't happen again._

_And yeah, I probably miss a bunch of errors and typos. Thank you guys for pointing them out to me so I can fix them, I appreciate it!_

_Some of these chapters might get rewritten at later dates, but we'll see how that goes._

_Critique + review!_

_- Mistress Antithesis_

* * *

**Next time: Return to Knuckles and Team Tempest, where another challenger shows up to make a mess of things.**


	5. Rebirthtxt

05: Rebirthtxt

_Day 02_

_8:58 AM_

_Edge of Western Gilded Forest_

"All I'm saying is there are a lot of ways to make rice. And the good ways aren't with _asparagus_."

"And _I'm _just saying, if you want your breakfast some other way, you can make it yourself!"

"I thought people liked feedback! Excuse me for trying to help!"

"Help? I'd no sooner look to you for help for scraping the grit off my shoes!"

Rein looked on to the squabbling pair in front. Knuckles – what the red echidna called himself, and Shayden, had been fanning the few embers that remained of this argument since Knuckles had made a cantankerous comment during breakfast and Shayden had subsequently threatened him with a frying pan. Rein yawned.

"Gaia forbid we be off our guard," Aristotle murmured dryly.

"It's just so early." Rein rubbed her eyes. "Why couldn't we sleep in longer?"

Aristotle kept his eyes trained on the thinning trees to their front. He knew the base was close, yet they had been alerted to no activity, patrols or otherwise. Therefore, he remained apprehensive. "We're a day behind as it is. We must hurry; even in a matter of hours, everything…" Aristotle trailed off as the trees disappeared abruptly; the team now stood on the edge of a vast, grassy plain. Wild grasses of a sallow gold stretched in front of them, paving the way to a not-so-distant barren hole of black ash. The smoking ruins of a large building jutted from the ground there, the jagged teeth to a yawning black maw. "… Can change."

Shayden raised her hand to her mouth. "Oh, no…"

"Wait, look!" Rein pointed into the midst of the rubble. A silhouette stirred there. "Is that… Sonic? _The_ Sonic the Hedgehog?"

"That's not Sonic." Knuckles took off in a sprint, and the others were close behind. While they hesitated somewhat at the edge of the burnt rubble, Knuckles did not. The figure turned, and trained upon him gleaming red eyes.

All around was wreckage, but no charred bodies – none visible, at least. Knuckles glanced back at the other three. Aristotle remained collected, surveying the scene while keeping tabs on the silhouette; Shay looked at the ground all around their feet as if searching for a sign of hope; Rein leveled a fierce glare at the red-eyed hedgehog.

"Shadow. Did you do this?" There was no answer. Knuckles' fists tightened; the silence told him enough. Shadow began to walk, nearly brushing Knuckles' shoulder with his own, and Knuckles raised his voice. "Don't turn your back, explain yourself!"

The response was eerily calm, but unhesitating. "I was seeking information on the further studies of Dr. Gerald Robotnik. A project named Maria."

"Project… Maria? But wasn't that…"

"It doesn't matter." Shadow stopped, back to back with Knuckles. "It was a dead end. And now this" – he held up a small electronic device, eyes dipping to stare blankly through the dark screen – "is all that remains of this stronghold. Useless to me now." He let it fall to the ground and walked slowly on, past Rein, Aristotle, and Shay, without so much as a glance.

Rein dared to pick up the small device and wiped blotches of ash from its screen. "All this? Just for a…" She tilted it this way and that, until the screen blinked to life.

"Knuckles." Aristotle's voice was firm. "Who was that?"

"Shadow." Knuckles flexed his hands, searching the rubble with quick darts of his eyes. "He must have… done all this."

"I see. It appears as though the rebel forces escaped, or scattered, as the case may be. We must return and report this. Fruitless as it was…"

"I'm not sure about that." Rein held up the device. "This thing he left us. It says Shayden's name."

"What?" Aristotle and Shayden echoed each other.

Rein showed them the screen. Only visible was text – upwards of about forty names, _Shayden/hedgehog_ being only one of them. Aristotle grimaced, clearly disturbed.

"We must hurry back. Both of you stay close." Aristotle looked back at Knuckles, who seemed to have lost himself somewhere in thought. "Are you coming to the capitol with us?" Of course, the ordinance remained that no animal could lawfully roam by him or herself, but Aristotle would look past that now – there were more important things.

"Yeah," Knuckles replied after a curt silence, and turned to walk back toward the team.

"Rein, you keep close too." This startled Rein out of her stupor. She had been staring down at the list, idly scanning the names, and one halted her attentions – _Caius/wolf_, it said. A name she knew. She swallowed a lump in her throat – could this list, from a rebel base no less, mean anything good for the names written in it?

But without saying a word, she jogged to catch up to Aristotle. The sooner they reached the capitol, the sooner this would be sorted out, surely.

* * *

_In this chapter:_

Aristotle the Echidna

Shayden the Hedgehog

Rein the Wolf

_I did it again, I skipped a day. Sorry. Yesterday I felt blocked, mentally, and didn't know how to go about this chapter, and I kept running into walls. I have no idea. But I'm better now…? Still no double update, though, sorry._

_And sorry, sorry, the members of Team Tempest remain agents of the plot right now. They'll come into their own soon._

_Sometimes I get the feeling that Shadow… scares Knuckles a little more than he lets on. Knuckles is a strong fighter and he talks a good talk, but Shadow is something else altogether. Otherworldly, almost. At least, that's my headcanon._

_Oh man, and what's with this Project Maria, huh guys? Does that intrigue you, cause it intrigues me, yes indeed!_

_Also winding down on the spring break updating, so in the future it'll be more sparse. Once or twice more in the next two days, but that'll be it for the super-fast updates. Also because I'll be resuming work on my other fic, the main one, after a week or so long break. Not abandoning anything, of course, the updates will just be a little sparser._

_Critique and review!_

_- Mistress Antithesis_

_P.S. - Asparagus is delicious, guys, I don't know what Knuckles' beef is with them._


	6. Softhearted

06: Softhearted

_Day 02_

_21:09 PM_

_Capitol City_

When Belladonna awoke, her eyes were open. It was not as if she had just awoken from sleep - it was as if someone had called out to her and suddenly focused her attention. Her body had already taken a defensive stance, a reflexive survival mechanism that had triggered itself in her sleep.

"Hey, easy."

her eyes focused on a hedgehog seated just to her side, red-furred with streaks of black shooting down his arms and legs; he held a roll of sterile bandages with one hand and with the other, steadied her half-bandaged arm and torso. Just behind his shoulder peered up at her a small earthy-red colored chao. She snatched her arm away.

"Hey!" he repeated just as she began to feel a woozy sway come over her. "Be careful-!" With a _whump_ she fell back into the cot. The hedgehog stood to help, moving her back into the center. Her muscles were suddenly overtaken with with a cold, liquid burning, and she found herself utterly powerless to move more than a claw without a searing flood of pain. She gritted her teeth and stared up at the wind-whipped canvas ceiling. The hedgehog resumed treating her arm. She couldn't move very well, and so wasn't able to do much in the way of protest, but she would be damned if she wasn't going to talk tough at him anyway.

"Don't you touch..." - wheeze - "... me!" It was, to say the least, much less of a demand than she had intended it to be. To her surprise, however, he removed his hands. She meant to go on, but the combination of rattling in her lungs and dumbfoundedness that he had actually done as she asked silenced her.

The chao put its paws on his shoulder and looked closer. It babbled something in its language.

"I know," replied the hedgehog, "that's what I was going to say."

"What is this, some kind of joke?" Belladonna spat.

"What joke?" he rebutted. "The one where you were half-dead when they found you in the forest a few miles from here? I'm still waiting on the punchline for that one."

"I..." Again, no witty replies would come to her. "Oh."

"Yeah, so if you don't mind..." He slowly raised his hands, making sure they were clear and visible to her, and continued to apply medicine and bandages. He went on more softly, "You're lucky to be alive. A search party found you- well, I found you, and... wasn't planning on taking this detour, to say the least. But for whatever attacked you, there is anti-venom here. Like I said, lucky."

She stifled a pained gasp when he pressed another bandage down. "It doesn't feel lucky."

"Sorry." He grimaced sympathetically. "You're going to be on bed rest for awhile. What happened to you?"

Her mouth remained closed.

"Right, then again, I don't exactly have to know." The chao sat itself on her other side, pressing her wrist for a pulse. "Nightshade, you've taken her pulse enough times in the last two minutes." The chao crooned a reply. "Yeah, that's true. I'm not exactly a medical professional. The medics are mostly out right now."

"Where are we?" Belladonna spoke up.

"The capitol." She was up again, but the paralyzing burning stunted her enough for him to ease her back down. "Stop doing that."

"I can't be here- I'm, I'm not exactly..."

"Relax. Me neither, remember? I didn't tell them more than they needed to know at the gate."

Why... why was he helping her? She didn't know him. He didn't owe her anything. He might as well have just looted her and let her die. People didn't do favors anymore - not in times like these.

"What's your name?" Her placid tone made him look up.

"Well..." He shared a glance with the chao. "Ladies first?"

"Belladonna."

"That's a mouthful."

In the absence any other ability for movement, she rolled her eyes.

"Chaos."

"Excuse me?"

"That's my name. Chaos."

"That's strange."

"It's an old name, you could say."

They let the silence hang until Nightshade rose further into the air, squeaking in warning before flying back to hide behind Chaos.

The tent flap opened. Sharp amber eyes raked over the pair. "So it is not a rumor. Fools. Wasting precious resources on strangers... spies, even."

Chaos got go his feet immediately. "Jennet- princess- that's not true!"

"And I am to trust your word, am I?"

"We're simple travelers!" Chaos' fists tightened. "We don't even have homes!"

Jennet's eyes focused on him. "I don't know you. But this woman is suspected to have engaged in rebel-related activity. She is banished from the continent."

"But she was dying, you can't just let-"

"She is banished. If she refuses that sentence, she is executed."

And Jennet was gone.

Stunned, Chaos fell back into the chair. "I didn't know this was the state of affairs..."

Already Belladonna was placing her belt on her hips, lacing her boots up, and standing slowly as she tested each limb - a pained snarl on her lips. "It's because of that... I thought there was no good left in the world. I forgot about kindness. But you... Chaos," she faced him, "you changed my mind. Thank you. Some day..." Her words hung in the air behind her as she walked past the tent flap. "I'll repay you."

* * *

_In this chapter:_

Belladonna the Skunk

Chaos the Hedgehog

_After this we'll be gearing toward the end of the arc. When the second arc starts and for a bit after, submissions will open back up, so stay tuned!_


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